The Media Representation of Prime Minister Truss’s Inauguration

A Linguistic Analysis of Two Broadsheet and Two Tabloid Newspapers

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the linguistic differences between British broadsheet and tabloid newspapers, as well as how the same event is depicted in four newspapers with contrasting political stances. The report on the inauguration of the Truss administration shows a stark contrast in front page picture, headline, and lead, creating a political position for each newspaper. The right-of-centre papers, The Daily Telegraph and Daily Express, are more favourable to the Truss administration, whilst the left-of-centre papers, The Guardian and Daily Mirror, are sharply critical of it. This has been verified through statistical keyness figures, and the choice of vocabulary largely contributes to the generation of each paper.s world view. Additionally, the tabloid papers are more likely to use Old English-derived adjectives than the broadsheet papers, which is related to the readership of each paper, even though traditional readers continue to move away from print newspapers.